Hyderabad: Polling for the second phase of Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana began on Sunday at 7 am under strict security and will continue until 1 pm, with counting scheduled from 2 pm.

The second phase covers 3,911 Sarpanch seats and 29,917 Ward Member posts across 193 mandals, with over 57.22 lakh voters (29.26 lakh women and 27.96 lakh men) deciding the fate of 12,782 Sarpanch and 71,071 Ward Member candidates.

The State Election Commission (SEC) had initially notified 4,333 Sarpanch and 38,350 Ward Member seats. Of these, 415 Sarpanch and 8,307 Ward Member candidates were elected unopposed, while 108 Ward Member posts received no nominations. Elections are not being held in two Gram Panchayats and 18 Wards.

For the second phase, the SEC deployed 4,593 returning officers, 30,661 staff, and 2,489 micro-observers. A total of 40,626 ballot papers are in use, with webcasting arranged at 3,769 sensitive polling stations. After the elections, Ward Members will elect Upa (Deputy) Sarpanches.

The first phase, held on December 11, recorded an 84.28% voter turnout, with 45.15 lakh voters casting their ballots. Congress-backed candidates claimed a commanding lead, winning 2,864 Sarpanch seats (67.63%), while BRS-backed candidates secured 1,143 seats (26.99%), BJP 185 (4.37%), and Independents 43 (1.02%).

Telangana’s three-phase panchayat elections, scheduled for December 11, 14, and 17, cover 12,728 Sarpanch and 1,12,242 Ward Member seats, with 1.66 crore eligible voters in rural areas.

The Telangana Cabinet decided to hold only Gram Panchayat elections this December to ensure utilisation of a Rs 3,000 crore central grant by March 31, 2026. Elections for Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and municipal corporations will follow after the High Court’s final ruling on 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs).

In October, the High Court struck down the government order providing 42% BC reservation in local bodies but allowed elections with a 50% cap on total reservations for all sections.

IANS